Newspaper delivery tube



y 1965 M. MONROE 3,181,782

M5405 MO/VPOE A770 A/EYJ United States Patent 3,181,782 NEWSPAPERDELIVERY TUBE Meade Monroe, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to NewspaperEnterprise Association Filed June 11, 1962, Ser. No. 201,631

4 Claims. (Cl. 23217) This invention is a continuation-in-part of myco-pending application filed on October 16, 1959, Serial No. 846,- 977now Patent No. 3,047,213 entitled Newspaper Delivery Tube.

The present invention relates to an improved newspaper delivery tubestructure that will protect and shield the newspaper placed therein fromrain, snow, wind or other detrimental weather conditions while awaitingremoval by the householder.

It has been found that the rain and melted snow and ice, because ofsurface tension, forms into separate drops or pools and remains so untilthe drops have increased in size sufficient to overcome such tension.Such raindrops may be A; of an inch or more in depth on the innersurface of the bottom wall of the tube. This means that the tube willmaintain a moisture content for a long period pending the evaporation ofthe drops of rain. Since the paper used as newsprint is water absorbentthis results in a wet portion of the newspaper where it comes intocontact with such drops of water, even though the storm that caused therain has subsided prior to the delivery of the newspaper. The presentinvention is designed to eliminate the water damage to a deliveredpaper.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a newspaper tube thatwill prevent the newspaper from coming into contact with rain Waterdriven into the open end of the tube during storms or during inclementweather.

Another object of the invention resides in the improved drainage andhooded opening to receive the newspaper.

Still another object of the invention is a newspaper tube having one ormore raised ribs to support the newspaper delivered therein extendingthe approximate length of the upper surface of the bottom wall of thetube.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in a structurewhich is economical of manufacture and maintenance as well as efficientof use.

Other objects and advantages more or less ancillary to the foregoing,and the manner in which all the various objects are realized will appearin the following description, which considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, sets forth the preferred embodiment of theinvention.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the newspaper tube showing the closedrear end of the tube;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational-sectional view of the tube taken ona line 66 of FIG. 1 showing the rear portion of the tube;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational-sectional view of a tube taken online 77 of FIG. 1 showing the hooded front open end portion of the tube.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the bottom wall of the tube taken on a line88 of FIG. 3 showing the newspaper support ribs and drainage holesassociated therewith;

FIG. is a fragmentary plan view of the newspaper support ribs anddrainage holes associated therewith as shown in FIG. 4.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the improved newspaper deliverytube may be made of plastic, such as polyethylene or other materialsthat are suitable for molding and weather resistant. It consists of twoprincipal parts, i.e., the molded-elongated tube member 39 generallyrectangular in cross-section, and the mounting bracket (not shown). Thesaid mounting bracket is shown in said co-pending application.

Referring now to the drawing it will be seen that the said tube 39 hasan open front end 31 and a slightly smaller, closed rear end 32 whichmay best be seen by referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing.

The said closed rear end 32 is positioned so as to form a right anglewith the bottom wall 33 of the tube 30.

The said tube 10 has side walls 34 and 35 respectively and a top wall 36that converge slightly from the said open end 31 toward the closed rearend 32.

In the drawing the closed rear end 32 has a centrally located flangedplastic disc 37 which seals an opening 38 left therein during thecasting operation in molding the tube 30.

The said open end 31 has a hood 39 formed by an extension 40 of the topwall 36 beyond the vertical plane of the front edge 41 of the bottomwall 33 and corresponding oblique extensions 42 and 43 of the side walls34 and 35.

As shown on said co-pending application, the bottom wall of the tube hasa rectangular raised-ribbed bracket seat and attached bracket withdrainage openings in the bottom wall of the tube adjacent thereto.

On the inner surface 44 of the bottom wall 33 are spaced-apart raisedribs 45 extending from the closed end 32 of the tube to a point adjacentthe front edge 41 of the front end of the tube. Preferably the minimumheight 46 of said ribs 45 should exceed the maximum depth of the raindrops that have collected during a rain storm on the said inner surfaceof the bottom wall 33.

Associated with the said raised ribs 45 are circular drainage openings47 in the bottom wall 33 of the tube. The said drainage openings 47 arein axial alignment with said ribs 45 and preferably are placed adjacentthe open front end 31 of the tube and near the rear closed end of thetube to provide drainage from the tube floor areas separated by the saidraised ribs 45. The said drainage openings 47 have downwardly extendingedges or beads 48 on the outer lower surface of said bottom wall 33 toprovide a drip edge for the drainage water and thus prevent such waterfrom moving upwardly by capillary attraction and thereby wet thenewspaper contained within the tube.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailedcharacter, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, itis understood that the specific terminology is not intended to berestrictive or confining, and that various arrangements of parts andmodifications of detail may be resorted to without departing from thescope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A newspaper delivery tube designed to be affixed to a support brackettherefor comprising:

(a) a one-piece elongated hollow body generally rectangular in crosssection and having a closed end substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis thereof, an open end, and a bottom wall having asubstantially smooth upper surface,

(b) spaced-apart ribs within said body and integral with said bottomwall and extending upwardly therefrom and from adjacent the open end ofthe body to adjacent the closed end thereof,

(0) the said ribs being substantially rectangular in cross section andof sufficient vertical height to support a newspaper out of contact withwater on the said upper surface of said bottom wall, and

(d) at least one drainage opening through the said bottom wall andadjacent to each rib, each said opening extending beneath the adjacentrib and opening into the spaces on opposite sides of such rib so thatthe enemas water on either side of a rib may drain through the openingbeneath that rib.

2. In a newspaper delivery tube designed to be affixed to a supportbracket therefor as set forth in claim 1 in which there are downwardlyextending beads on the lower surface of the said bottom wall surroundingthe said drainage openings through said bottom wall to provide a dripedge for water which accumulates adjacent thereto.

3. A'newspaper delivery tube designed to be aflixed to a support brackettherefor as set, forth in claim :1 in which the open end of said bodylies in a plane oblique tothe vertical so that the top edge thereofoverlies the bottomedge thereof.

4. A newspaper delivery tube designed to be afiixed to a support brackettherefor comprising:

(a) a one-piece elongated hollow body generally rectangular in crosssection and having a closed end substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis thereof, an open end, and a bottom wall having asubstantially smooth upper surface,

(b) the said open end lying ina plane oblique to the vertical. so thatthe top edge thereof overlies the bottom edge thereof,

(0) spaced-apart ribs within said body integral with said bottom walland extending upwardly therefrom bottom wall and adjacent to each rib,each said opening extending beneath the adjacent rib and opening intothe spaces on opposite sides of such rib so that the water on eitherside of a rib may drain through the opening beneath that rib and,

(f) downwardly extending beads on the lower surface of said bottom wallsurrounding said drainage open. ings to provide a drip edge for waterthat accumulates adjacent thereto.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 462,224 10/91Strong 23217 2,267,0'72 12/41 Beggs 232l7 2,845,217 7/58 Jacques 232173,047,213 7/62 Monroe 23217 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner;

1. A NEWSPAPER DELIVERY TUBE DESIGNED TO BE AFFIXED TO A SUPPORT BRACKETTHEREFOR COMPRISING: (A) A ONE-PIECE ELONGATED HOLLOW BODY GENERALLYRECTANGULAR IN CROSS SECTION AND HAVING A CLOSED END SUBSTANTIALLYPERPENDICULAR TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, AN OPEN END, AND ABOTTOM WALL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH UPPER SURFACE, (B)SPACED-APART RIBS WITHIN SAID BODY AND INTEGRAL WITH SAID BOTTOM WALLAND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM AND FROM ADJACENT THE OPEN END OF THEBODY TO ADJACENT THE CLOSED END THEREOF, (C) THE SAID RIBS BEINGSUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR IN CROSS SECTION AND OF SUFFICIENT VERTICALHEIGHT TO SUPPORT A NEWSPAPER OUT OF CONTACT WITH WATER ON THE SAIDUPPER SURFACE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, AND (D) AT LEAST ONE DRAINAGE OPENINGTHROUGH THE SAID BOTTOM WALL AND ADJACENT TO EACH RIB AND OPENING INTOEXTENDING BENEATH THE ADJACENT RIB AND OPENING INTO THE SPACES ONOPPOSITE SIDES OF SUCH RIB SO THAT THE WATER ON EITHER SIDE OF A RIB MAYDRAIN THROUGH THE OPENING BENEATH THAT RIB.